Japan core CPI falls 0.3 pct year/year in February

March 28, 2013|Reuters

TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer pricesfell 0.3 percent in February from a year earlier, governmentdata showed on Friday, underscoring the challenge the centralbank faces in trying to achieve its 2 percent inflation target.

The decline in the core consumer price index, which includesoil products but excludes volatile prices of fresh fruit,vegetables and seafood, compared with a median market forecastfor a 0.4 percent drop.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, available a month before thenationwide data, fell 0.5 percent in March from a year earlier,compared with a median market forecast for a 0.6 percentdecline, the Internal Affairs ministry data showed.